There are three types of Spartan races: the Spartan Sprint (3+ miles), the Super Spartan (8+ miles) and the Spartan Beast (13+ miles). If you have any hope of completing a Spartan Beast—the longest and toughest Spartan race—you need to focus on your training. It's the ultimate physical test, and it's been known to push people to the breaking point.

Preparing for a Spartan Beast requires a comprehensive Spartan training program that will improve your strength, power, muscular endurance, aerobic capacity and anaerobic capacity. The 8-week program below will accomplish those goals.

The Spartan Beast Training Program

This 8-week Spartan Beast training program calls for four workouts per week. Each session will challenge you in a different way to prepare you for the various sprints and obstacles you will face during the race.

Train hard for four days, and focus on recovering during your off-days, which should include foam rolling and light mobility work. Train hard and train smart.

Day one is a strength day in the weight room. Getting stronger sets the foundation for improving your other fitness attributes and ensures that you will have the strength to complete any obstacle.

Day two challenges your anaerobic system. In the first four weeks, you will perform Hurricane training, which is derived from the Training for Warriors System. It will improve your ability to sprint and execute short bursts of strength and power, and will even enhance your aerobic system.

Day three is a trail running day, so you can train in the same environment as a race. This will improve your long-duration endurance and prepare you for the ever-changing terrain. It also calls for intermittent bodyweight exercises to simulate random obstacles scattered throughout the course.

Day four builds muscular endurance via density training. During a Spartan Beast, your entire body will begin to fatigue, eventually slowing you down. The density day will prepare your muscles to be used over and over again.

Rob DeCillis
- Rob DeCillis got his start in the strength and conditioning world in 2006, when he had the opportunity to train an IFL heavyweight fighter. After a stint with Velocity Sports Performance, he now co-owns Training for Warriors Long Island (Bellmore, N.Y.), where he works with all types of athletes, em
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